In a context where the Vietnamese seafood industry is stepping up the transition from wild-catching to sustainable aquaculture, the Scheme on marine aquaculture development (marine farming) has become a crucial guiding compass. With strategic targets and breakthrough growth results of key commodities such as lobsters, the marine farming sector is progressively affirming its position as a pillar of Vietnam's marine economy.

Strategic vision and breakthrough targets to 2030

On October 4, 2021, the Government promulgated Decision 1664/QD-TTg approving the Scheme on marine aquaculture development to 2030, with a vision to 2045. This Decision sets out the development perspective of turning marine farming into a large-scale, industrial, synchronous, and sustainable commodity manufacturing sector.

According to the content of the Scheme, the target by 2025 is that our country's marine farming area reaches 280,000 hectares with an output volume of 850,000 tons, and export turnover reaches approximately 0.8 - 1.0 billion USD. Stepping into the 2030 phase, these figures will continue to grow powerfully with an area of 300,000 hectares, output reaching 1.45 million tons, and export value stretching to the threshold of 1.8 - 2.0 billion USD.

Particularly, the vision to 2045 expects Vietnam's marine farming industry to reach an advanced level with modern management methods, contributing over 25% of the seafood sector's total output volume and export value exceeding the 4-billion-dollar mark. To realize this, the Government prioritizes developing subjects possessing competitive advantages such as the marine fish group, crustaceans (lobsters), mollusks, and marine algae.

In the structure of marine farming items, lobsters are emerging as a primary growth driver. According to reports from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in just the first 5 months of 2026, lobster exports to China reached over 506 million USD, an impressive growth of 44.3% compared to the same period of 2025. This item currently occupies up to 71% of the total shrimp export turnover to this billion-citizen market.

Ms. Le Hang, Deputy General Secretary of VASEP, evaluated: "The demand for live fresh seafood food in the Chinese market is very massive, especially against high-end seafood types. Lobster exports to China in 2026 can completely touch the 1-billion-dollar mark."

This growth is not accidental but is the result of an accumulation process from 2025, when lobster exports to China established a record of 845 million USD. Vietnam currently possesses a very massive advantage compared to competitors such as Canada, the US, or Australia thanks to its geographical position adjacent to the border, helping the transportation of live fresh lobsters take place rapidly and flexibly. Particularly, Vietnam's green lobsters with appropriate sizes and competitive costs are the priority choice of restaurants and hotels in China.

Infrastructure investment and high-tech applications as levers

To maintain a sustainable growth momentum, Decision 1664/QD-TTg determined science and technology as the breakthrough basis. The Scheme focuses on developing cage systems using new materials capable of withstanding large waves and strong winds, automated environmental monitoring systems, and industrial-scale offshore farming technology.

The Government also approved the catalog of projects prioritized for technical infrastructure investment serving marine farming. In the 2021-2025 period, industrial-scale pilot marine farming projects were deployed in Quang Ninh, Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan, and Kien Giang with total financial demands climbing up to thousands of billion VND. Concentrated offshore marine farming zones were also clearly planned in key provinces from Hai Phong to Kien Giang aiming to generate new development spaces, reducing pressure on nearshore farming zones.

Alongside infrastructure, the breeding stock and feed issues are also placed at the top. The Scheme sets the target to socialize research and breeding production activities of high-value subjects such as groupers, lobsters, mollusks... while concurrently constructing concentrated feed manufacturing zones tied with fishery logistics service zones.

One of the key solutions mentioned by the Scheme is reorganizing manufacturing under value chains. Within this, enterprises are determined as the core force, playing the role of a nucleus linking small-scale farming households into Collaborative Groups and Cooperatives aiming to upgrade competitive edge and guarantee environmental safety.

This linkage does not merely stop within the seafood sector but also expands to other economic sectors on the sea. Decision 1664/QD-TTg encourages models combining marine farming with eco-tourism, wind power, and oil and gas to optimize marine resources. For instance, provinces like Quang Ninh and Hai Phong are actively constructing marine farming centers tied with marine conservation zones and national tourism.

Actual results demonstrate that the Vietnamese seafood industry is maintaining a powerful recovery momentum. According to data from VASEP, counting generally for the first 6 months of 2026, national seafood export turnover reached nearly 5.8 billion USD, up 12.8% compared to the same period. This result possesses a non-small contribution from high-end marine farming items, affirming the correct heading of the Government in executing the Strategy for sustainable development of the marine economy.

The synchronous deployment of Scheme 1664 not only helps achieve the billion-dollar turnover target for items like lobsters, but also contributes importantly to protecting the security and defense of the sea and island zones of the Fatherland. As affirmed by seafood experts, the path ahead for Vietnamese marine farming is precisely the combination between innovation and sustainability to reach out to the grand ocean.

Source: Bao dien tu Chinh phu